Eddie Kingston has ignited speculation of a return to All Elite Wrestling, posting a cryptic image on Instagram just one day before Forbidden Door. The post, which features Kingston under a Forbidden Door banner without a caption, is his first major hint at a comeback after a 15-month absence due to injury.
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The tease directly contrasts a recent update from Kingston where he stated he was still not medically cleared for an in-ring return, noting that an immediate comeback was unlikely. Kingston has been sidelined since May 2024 after suffering a broken leg, a fractured tibia, and a torn ACL and meniscus. The injuries occurred during a No Ropes Last Man Standing match against Gabe Kidd at an NJPW STRONG Resurgence show when his leg struck a steel guardrail after an awkward landing through a table.
Kingston’s August 23rd post featured a photograph of himself from the 2022 Forbidden Door. This marks a notable shift from his public stance earlier in August, when he expressed his disappointment over the likelihood of missing the pay-per-view for a second consecutive year. During that interview, he called Forbidden Door his favorite event and listed Shingo Takagi, Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, and Taichi as NJPW wrestlers he hoped to face.
His last match in an AEW ring was in April 2024, when he teamed with Adam Copeland and Mark Briscoe in a losing effort against The House of Black. The injury he sustained the following month in NJPW forced him to relinquish the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. Despite his earlier pessimism about returning for the London event, Kingston had concluded his previous statement with a sliver of hope, saying, “Hopefully, this comes out and I’m wrong and I’m actually at Forbidden Door fighting somebody.”
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